


watch me burn and rust

by disgruntled_lesbian



Series: but i can fight [a collection of zagreus centric ficlets] [3]
Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Incest, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:14:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29150286
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/disgruntled_lesbian/pseuds/disgruntled_lesbian
Summary: zagreus kneels in the magma river of asphodel, the heat licking at his feet and legs. the fists of malphon rest heavy in his hands as he stares at the island he’s just cleared. the witches are gone, for the moment at least, and he knows he should climb aboard the next boat, knows he has to press on, but he can’t.
Relationships: Achilles & Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Series: but i can fight [a collection of zagreus centric ficlets] [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139672
Comments: 1
Kudos: 32





	watch me burn and rust

**Author's Note:**

> okay so this fic contains some hades (2018) spoilers [important boss/identity of redacted] and implied sexual assault/abuse & trauma, as well as some ptsd & suicidality. i've put a tl;dr in the end notes, and please take care of yourselves <3

zagreus kneels in the magma river of asphodel, the heat licking at his feet and legs. the fists of malphon rest heavy in his hands as he stares at the island he’s just cleared. the witches are gone, for the moment at least, and he knows he should climb aboard the next boat, knows he has to press on, but he can’t. he can feel his father’s large hands around his wrists, the heat of his breath on the back of zagreus’ neck, can hear the crunch of surface-snow under his hands _face_ as he’s pressed to the ground. zagreus opens eyes he hadn’t realized had closed, retching and spitting bile. he takes a deep breath and collapses, floating on his back as he screams—consumed by flames that tear through his body, only to be ripped back to life _again and again and_ —

he’s grateful that he is alone, that no olympian is watching him, that thanatoswill not see him like this, all that hypnos will know is that he fell to the river, not that he threw himself into the burning magma because he could not stand it—unbeknownst to him, artemis is watching, screaming at him to get up, to come towards them where they wait to bless him with what he needs to continue his fight. 

when he finally wakes up, gasping for breath in the pool, zagreus isn’t sure if he wants to scream or cry. he drags his aching body through the house, barely acknowledging anyone around him. he hears achilles’ voice in the background and walks on, clinging desperately to a façade of normality. hades’ gaze is heavy on him as he passes by the desk, and he hears the rumble of his father’s mocking but can’t process the words. nyx isn't waiting by his bedchamber door. 

nowhere feels safe. his room doesn’t feel safe. his practice courtyard with skelly standing permanently guard doesn’t feel safe. kneeling in his bath, zagreus breaks. he screams, cries, tears at his hair— 

weeps until he doesn’t have any tears left. 

there’s no escape. he stops trying. achilles looks at him funny, and even hypnos raises a sleepy eyebrow at him, but zagreus barely processes it. he drifts like a shade through the house. he doesn’t eat, doesn’t sleep, is unable to close his eyes for more than a moment before he wakes up screaming. 

it’s late one night that achilles finds him in his chambers, curled up on the nest of blankets he built between his bed and the wall. achilles kneels in front of zagreus, reaching out his hand. zagreus looks at him, eyes red rimmed, flinching back from the touch. 

“ah lad,” achilles whispers, resting a hand on zagreus’ nape and pulling him close to rest against achilles, forehead to forehead. “it has been hard for you.” achilles looks at him as if he can see through zagreus, can see the marks he still carries where his father’s touch burned him. the gentleness breaks something in zagreus, and he sobs, clinging to achilles’ shoulders. 

“i can’t go back. i didn’t—it _hurts._ ” 

achilles sighs, rearranging their bodies so that he lays next to zagreus, putting his body between the young god and the rest of the house. “i have no doubt that you can do it, lad.” he says, running a hand through zagreus's hair and guiding him to curl up against achilles' shoulder. “and there is no shame in this rest.”

**Author's Note:**

> the tl;dr is: zagreus is trying to make his way back to the surface when he has a flashback to when he previously made it to the surface, fought hades and lost, and hades assaulted him before leaving him to die (it's implied, and i've tried to be very aggressive with the tagging). zagreus makes the decision to kill himself, returns to the house, and stops his escape attempts, causing achilles to worry.
> 
> [author is someone w/ ptsd & trauma]


End file.
